She said: “The worst thing about headship is the paperwork. I worry that I can’t read everything that is stacked on my table. But I would only be able to read all the documents that come into my office, if I didn’t sleep.

“It’s made worse by email, I spent 25 to 40 minutes every day reading and downloading emails only to find it all comes along in the post as well.

“I did some teaching this year, taking French and RE lessons to provide a newly-qualified teacher with non-contact time. But I had to give up after two terms because I didn’t have the time to prepare properly.

“Funding is still a massive problem and everything is so expensive. We don’t have the money to keep up with technology, you buy these things which within nine months become obsolete and start playing up.

“But I do think standards of teaching have got much much better in 10 years. I rarely come across a poor teacher. The country should be proud of its teachers, these are very hard working, professional and dedicated.”